Russia has launched its “most significant offensive operation” in Ukraine since at least January, according to the British Ministry of Defence.
As western governments' focus turns to the situation in the Middle East, Vladimir Putin's army began a large scale attack on the town of Avdiivka.
Moscow's troops are seeking to seize the heavily defended town, which is a gateway to taking control of the Donetsk province, and are likely using “multiple armoured battalions”.
“Russia has highly likely begun a coordinated offensive across multiple axes in the east of Ukraine," the MoD in London said in its Tuesday morning briefing.
“Russian forces in Donetsk are conducting a combined arms offensive on the heavily defended town of Avdiivka, which has been on the front line since 2014.
“The town is a major obstacle in preventing Russian forces from their wider objective of taking control of Donetsk Oblast.
“Russia's attack is likely being carried out with multiple armoured battalions, which are attempting to envelop the town. It is likely to be the most significant offensive operation undertaken by Russia since at least January 2023."
So far Ukrainian forces have held back Putin's troops and Russia taking the town is "unlikely" in the short term, according to the MoD.
"Entrenched Ukrainian forces have so far likely held back the Russian advance, with the latter sustaining heavy equipment and personal losses," the Ministry said.
"Slow progress and high casualties have likely triggered a change in messaging from Russia, from an offensive to 'active-defence', as successfully clearing Avdiivka looks increasingly unlikely in the short term."
Meanwhile Russia's parliament began voting on Tuesday on withdrawing Moscow's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The1996 agreement bans “any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion" anywhere in the world and has been signed by 187 states.
In practice it has created a de facto norm against nuclear testing with no country carrying out nuclear test explosions since the 1990s, with the exception of North Korea, which is under UN sanctions related to its banned ballistic missile programmes.
The CTBT is “a remarkably effective treaty, even though it hasn't come into force", said Matthew Harries, director of proliferation and nuclear policy at the RUSI think-tank in London.
Putin has said that Russia should withdraw its ratification of the CTBT to “mirror" the status of the United States, which has signed but not ratified the agreement.
The move is part of a pattern of actions and statements by Moscow that have increased nuclear tension with the West since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
